Oh, this brings back memories. I too remember the paper grocery bags as well as bringing re-usable nylon or cloth sacks to the grocery store for heavier items.

We re-used so many things when I was young (still do). Before the age of plastic, most products came in glass, metal, cardboard or paper packaging. Glass jars and bottles that contained condiments or products like shampoo, cardboard and metal canisters of food/beverage ingredients and even heavy paper wrapping all were reused to either store other products or were refilled with similar items. Some product containers were even designed for that purpose.

When we were kids, we either went home for lunch on foot or on our bikes to eat real food; or it was taken to school in a lunch box. Our boxed lunches usually consisted of a sandwich wrapped in wax paper, some fruit and maybe a home made cookie, along with a thermos of milk or juice. It was not a collection of overly packaged 'snack food' and sugar based drinks purchased from a supermarket, vending machine or a fast food outlet.

The interesting thing with all the re-cycling programs is that it actually costs more in fossil fuels and other resources to re-cycle most items than to produce them new.
There is a huge difference to our planet, our resources and our economies between re-using and re-cycling.

QUOTE: "Our biggest mistake is thinking that recycling saves energy. In actuality it increases energy use in transporting, sorting and cleaning. You cannot recycle without the latter mentioned uses of energy. It is a fact that it cost more to recycle a plastic water bottle than to produce a new one."
http://voices.yahoo.com/recycling-sc...520.html?cat=9

With love, Erika